Why did nearly all ancient civilizations develop as patriarchal societies?

[Anonymous]

Ancient Western societies were patriarchal. Even the ancient Aztecs and Chinese were originally patriarchal.

[kissmyring]

The most ancient of societies, Mesopotamia, was a matriarchy. From what we know anthropologically, the first deities people worshipped were women, like Gaia or Hecate, and society was ruled by priestesses. The reason it was this way is because women were seen as the makers of life, and therefore more inherently divine than men. It wasn’t until people realized that women who never had sex with men never created life that men asked for a seat at the table, as clearly they were creators of life too. This is when we saw the first male gods in human history, and also an incredibly stark spike in wars.

[Asker]

I don't think Mesopotamia was matriarchal. I think the political and religious leadership was mainly if not exclusively men. And just because they worshipped some female gods doesn't make it matriarchal. The Romans worshipped female gods too, such as Isis.

[kissmyring]

Okay, just denounce everything I said because you feel like it

[jennifer_bloom]

The Japanese culture was a matrilineal society which is probably why it worked so hard to build a totally different culture from China and I believe the South African parliament is around 50 or 51% female. Some say that Jewish culture is interpretively matrilineal because the Jewish designation is often inherited through the biological mother rather than the biological father.

I notice societies that honour woman are richer than societies that dishonour women.

South Africa has more money than Rwanda.

Britain has more money than Pakistan.

America has more money than Syria.

Spain has more money than Belarus.

Canada has more money than the Small Islander nations in East Asia.

I also notice men who respect women tend to earn more money than men who do not respect women.

I know smart guys that do not respect women who live on welfare.

I know average guys that honour women who earn more than brain surgeons.

[jshm2]

Because it's largely a myth.

Civilisations develop around power, resources and laws - not gender.

Women were often involved in varying levels in past civilisations. But history only records the "interesting parts" and not the dull day to day.

All this "patriarchal/matriarchal" shit is just the modern effort to try and paint these old societies into things modern people can understand. They would have laughed at you, back then.

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

Wild guesses then...

I assume it started with men noticing their superior physical strength, a way to vent urges? Against someone easier to beat. I assume rape was a normalized option as well, another way to vent urges? Against someone who can't even rape back.

And then the further developments, with more complex cultural rules would have established, legislated, and formalized forces that were already at play?

[strateguy632]

because lady WANTED to be with her baby. even mesopotamia

now tv told them it is old fashioned. so she obeyed the tv.

[NaultD]

Being a weight class higher was a dominant force.

[NaultD]

https://youtu.be/1c9U01Z52YQ?si=XtJNIxumPCqtxJyF

At the same time this fucking sucks.